


All I Want for Christmas is a New Beginning

by Quickspinner



Series: New Beginnings [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Endgame Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, F/F, F/M, Lukanette, Meet-Cute, Misunderstandings, New Year's Fluff, Sibling Love, Uncle Luka, mlholidays2k19
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-23
Updated: 2019-12-31
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:55:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,023
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21913273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Quickspinner/pseuds/Quickspinner
Summary: Marinette is volunteering as one of Santa's elves when she meets a sweet little girl who's there to get her picture taken with Santa, escorted by her cute, single uncle...and he thinks Marinette's pretty cute too.
Relationships: Juleka Couffaine & Luka Couffaine, Luka Couffaine/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug
Series: New Beginnings [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2083203
Comments: 40
Kudos: 368





	1. 18. Elves

**Author's Note:**

> So this story began as part of the MLHoliday2k19 prompts and then kind of exploded into it's own thing, so I'm posting it separately from the other pieces. Chapters are inspired as follows:
> 
> Completed chapters  
> Ch 1 - 18. Elves  
> Ch 2 & 3 - 19. Naughty or Nice  
> Ch. 4 - 22. Snowman  
> Upcoming Chapters  
> Ch 5 - 31. New Beginnings

Trouble was brewing. Marinette could feel it in the tips of her fake elf ears. The children currently taking their turn in Santa’s lap were  _ not _ happy, but that was Alya’s problem, not Marinette’s. Marinette’s worry was the next in line, a little dark-haired cherub with pretty blue eyes and a dress made of red velvet and dripping with ribbons. Her father was crouched next to her, talking quietly, but the pout on the little girl’s face and the way she looked at the bright signs across the way suggested an explosion or an escape was imminent. 

Fortunately, Marinette was prepared. She jingled over, bells at her feet and wrists ringing.

“Hi sweetie,” Marinette said, twirling a stick with sparkly ribbons tied on the end to catch the attention of the little girl. “It’s soooooo hard to be patient when you’re excited, isn’t it? You’re doing such a good job. I need a happy little girl like you to help me sprinkle some Christmas magic on this place.” She demonstrated, swishing the stick back and forth to make the ribbons dance. “Do you think you could help me?” 

“Is magic,” the little girl repeated, reaching for the stick. Marinette handed it to her and she giggled, waving it, and promptly turning to jiggle the ribbon over the velvet ropes marking the line. It actually wasn’t very busy at the moment, only a couple of older children behind the little one who had long ago learned that they had to be patient if they wanted to get their wish lists to Santa. 

“Nicely done,” the little girl’s father said, getting to his feet. “I was starting to get a little worried she wouldn’t make it.” 

“That’s what I’m here for!” she said cheerfully, smiling up at him, and for an instant she froze. He was...really nice looking, tall and fit with black hair dyed blue at the tips, nice shoulders, and kind blue eyes. He was casually dressed in jeans and a hoodie over a t-shirt, the sleeves pushed up to his elbows. His smile grew a bit as she looked at him and Marinette found her voice again, blushing at being caught staring. “Thank you for being so patient, sir.”

“We aren’t in any hurry.” He shrugged. “Seems kinda dumb to come to an event like this and then get riled up over kids being kids,” he added, eyeing the grumpy grandma whose grandchildren Alya was desperately trying to charm into smiling for the picture. 

Marinette giggled, and he smiled at her. “It must be a tough job,” he commented. “Keeping all these people and kids happy.”

“It’s an experience,” she shrugged. “Honestly, a lot of people I deal with at work might as well be children, so this isn’t that much different from my day to day.” Marinette grinned. “Most of them can be distracted by sparkly things too.”

“I take it this isn’t your full-time gig then?” he asked, glancing at her elf costume. 

“Oh, no, I’m a volunteer,” Marinette replied cheerfully, waving to the sign announcing that Santa was visiting to collect donations for the local children’s hospital in exchange for pictures. “I’ve been volunteering for this event for the last couple of years.” 

“Really.” That seemed to surprise him. “You enjoy dressing up as an elf?” 

“I enjoy the kids,” Marinette replied with a shrug. “The outfit…” she lifted the corners of her scalloped, bell-topped skirt to spread it out. “Well, I make do.” She’d made the outfit herself, actually, both hers and Alya’s, and it came together in layers so that she didn’t have to look too ridiculous riding the subway. 

“I can’t imagine anyone else making it look that good,” he commented. Marinette’s face burned as she jerked her head up to look at him. He seemed to realize what he’d said and blushed himself. “Sorry,” he mumbled. “That was probably inappropriate, I didn’t mean to, uh—“

“Up, up!” The little girl danced on her toes, reaching chubby baby arms toward Marinette. “Up elfie!”

“May I?” Marinette asked, looking at the father.

“If it’s okay with her, it’s okay with me,” he nodded, folding his arms across his chest, and those were nice, too. Marinette couldn’t help a glance at his hands. He wore a ring on the index finger of his left hand, but no wedding ring. That didn’t always mean anything nowadays days though. 

“Well hello, little Christmas angel,” Marinette said, sweeping up the child. “Are you doing a good job spreading holiday cheer?” She suddenly felt like a terrible person for hoping this child was being raised by a single parent just because she thought the girl’s father was hot—cute! He was cute. Just cute.

“It looks like they’re almost done,” Marinette said, looking back to where Alya finally had the kids on Santa’s lap smiling and laughing. “Alya’s so good with kids,” Marinette sighed. “I wish I was. I love them but I’m an only child and kids just don’t seem to take to me the way they do her.”

“Well, Angelique seems to like you,” the father smiled at the toddler currently inspecting the bells on Marinette’s collar. 

“Aww, she’s so sweet though,” Marinette said, bouncing a little on her toes and feeling accomplished when the little girl giggled. “Your daddy has such a cute little girl!” Marinette cooed. “Yes he does!”

She glanced up when the daddy in question chuckled. “Angie’s my niece, actually,” he said, flashing a smile that should be illegal. “My sister and her wife both have the flu and Rose—my sister-in-law, That is—really wanted to have these pictures, so here we are.”

“Oh,” Marinette blushed, more from the sudden knowledge that he was, in fact, single, and she didn’t even have to feel guilty about wishing for it, than from embarrassment at the mistake. “I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have assumed.”

“I don’t blame you, it was the obvious conclusion, but I don’t have any kids myself.” He winked at her. “No wife, either. Or girlfriend. Just me and my guitar at the moment. My name’s Luka, by the way.” 

Oh God, was he flirting with her? It was kind of obvious bait, but Marinette didn’t mind. “You play guitar?” she asked innocently. “What kind?” 

His grin broadened a little at the question. “Electric usually, but I play acoustic too. My band’s playing Saturday at La Sable upstairs if you’d like to hear. Our set starts at ten.”

“Oh,” Marinette’s eyes widened slightly. “I’m not sure, Saturday’s kind of a big day for us and I’m on shift till closing, I don’t know if I’d make it.” She looked down at herself. “I definitely wouldn’t have time to change.” 

“That’s okay, you look cute, just come like that.” He grinned. “At least you’ll be easy to find.” Luka glanced over her head. “Looks like we’re up. It was nice meeting you, Marinette.” 

Rather stunned, Marinette let him take the child from her arms and watched him carry her over to Alya. After a few doubtful looks and some gentle persuasion from her uncle, Angie allowed herself to be placed in Santa’s lap, and smiled happily while she sprinkled Christmas magic on Santa’s beard (and nearly up his nose). They were done in mere minutes, and as Alya directed them towards the exit on the other side of the North Pole, Luka leaned down and spoke to Angie and they both turned and waved at Marinette. 

Marinette waved back automatically, shoulders hunching self-consciously, and then quickly turned back to the line. “Okay, who’s next!” she cried with almost too much enthusiasm.


	2. 19. Naughty

Luka honestly didn’t expect her to come. Not many girls would come even to a mall bar like this dressed like one of Santa’s elves. Not to mention it was entirely possible that she thought he was a creep. He  _ was _ kind of hitting on her while she was working, against his own policy. She was just so cute and sweet, and if he wasn’t totally misreading her, she was maybe a little bit into him too, and he couldn’t stomach the idea of missing out completely, so he gave her the most low-pressure invitation he could think of. Luka tried not to think about it after that.

It didn’t go very well. Outwardly he kept his cool, but internally he diverted his thoughts into a list of reasons she wouldn’t come and why he shouldn’t be disappointed. She’d doubtless be tired after handling kids and parents all day. And it  _ was _ a little weird for a grown woman to be dressing up as an elf. Although it was pretty selfless of her to do it for charity, and year after year, too, it was a kind—wait, no. She probably thought he was a freak anyway, flirting with her after she cheered up his niece, like one of those pathetic guys who thought walking a puppy would help him meet girls. Man, he really hoped she didn’t think that, she was so cute and she seemed so nice and— _ damn it, Couffaine _ . 

Luka scanned the place every time he walked through as they were setting up. It wasn’t the type of venue he normally played, but the act that had originally been booked for tonight had bailed at the last minute, and the bartender had convinced the manager to let Luka’s band play, though their sound was a bit heavy for the kind of crowd that frequented this place. The stage was smaller, the sound system less powerful, and the lighting quite a bit brighter than what they were used to, but a gig was a gig. Luka had visited while another band was playing to get the feel of the place, and he’d done his best to tailor their set list to make the most of it.

He was just about to go on when he spotted her, leaning against the bar and breathing hard, like she had run to get here in time. Luka swerved away, ignoring his bandmates’ hissed demands for him to come back. “Hey,” he said, touching her elbow to get her attention. She turned toward him and her mouth dropped open a little as she looked him over. That was a nice ego boost, and Luka grinned. “Glad you could make it. I’ve gotta go on, but I’ll come find you after, okay? Enjoy the show.” 

He turned to go and then changed his mind. “Hey, Vic,” Luka called, leaning over the bar. “Do me a favor, let Santa’s Helper here order a drink on my tab?”

Victor gave him a wave and Luka headed back to his aggravated bandmates with a shit-eating grin and an extra bounce in his step.

Luka felt good about the performance; the audience seemed into it, the sound quality was acceptable, and it looked like the balance was okay. The lights were hotter than he liked, but that was a minor difficulty, and he was prepared for it. 

Luka ditched his bandmates as soon as he could when the show was over, doing the bare minimum to help with the breakdown before slipping away (the others grumbled, but every one of them had been in this situation before, so they just rolled their eyes as they took his spare keys to the van). Luka stopped in the men’s room to rinse off the worst of the sweat and change to a clean shirt, and then he slipped out in search of the cute elf waiting for him. At least, he hoped she waited for him. He paused at the end of the bar when he didn’t see her right away. He jumped when Victor spoke right at his elbow.

“Nice performance.” Victor slid a shot across the bar to him. “I think you’re going to need this.” 

Luka looked at him, confused, and Victor tipped his head to indicate a seat a few feet farther down the bar. Luka turned to look where he indicated, and his jaw dropped. 

That...was not the elf he expected. Marinette had removed her false ears and name tag of course, but also the belled collar that had lain over her shoulders, her white, long-sleeved undershirt, and the scalloped green overskirt with the bells on it, leaving her in just the red sleeveless dress with its candy cane striped belt. Her striped stockings and belled shoes were also gone, replaced with a simple pair of flats. Her arms were bare, her dress was no longer buttoned up tight to her throat, and her  _ very nice _ legs were crossed as she perched on the bar stool. She’d taken her hair out of the pigtails and it hung loose around her shoulders. Marinette looked up and smiled a little nervously as someone leaned over to talk to her, and he could see she’d redone her makeup as well, making the most of her stunning blue eyes. 

Luka groped for the shot still on the bar without looking away. Victor laughed and shoved it into his hand. Luka tossed it back, barely registering the burn. “Thanks, Vic,” he managed, before he took a deep breath, and went to greet his cute but suddenly not so innocent little elf. 

“Hey,” he said, looking her over. “Wow. I thought you were cute before but I gotta say, I’m impressed.” 

“Oh,” Marinette blushed. “I didn’t really do much, I just wanted to, you know,” she waved a hand vaguely. “Blend in a little better.”

“Well,” Luka chuckled, looking away before he embarrassed himself staring at her legs, “If that was your plan, then I’m afraid it failed miserably, because you—“ He met her eyes again. “Definitely stand out.”

She blushed harder, but picked up her drink with a flirty little toss of her hair and sniffed, “I’ll bet you say that to all the elves.”

Luka laughed. “Oh my God, you’re so cute,” he chuckled. “Listen, I’m starved, how about we grab a table and get some food? Are you hungry? On me, for taking such good care of Angie. Rose loved the pictures, by the way.”

“Oh, good. Is she feeling any better?”

The question surprised him a little. “Yeah, I think they’re getting towards the end finally. Rose is upright, at least, but Jules is still spending most of her day face down praying to die.” He smiled at her. “Thanks for asking, most people wouldn’t even remember.”

“It’s good that Angie didn’t get sick,” Marinette observed, taking his offered hand and letting him help her down from the bar stool. 

“Oh she did,” Luka chuckled. “She’s the one who gave it to her moms. Now she’s all better and wanting to play while they’d rather die than move from the couch. Needless to say I’ve been doing a lot of babysitting the last week or so. I had it a few months ago so they figured I was safe. I promise, I’ve been keeping her clean and sanitized so she can’t pass it along.”

Marinette wrinkled her nose. “Alya made me get a flu shot before we volunteered.”

“That was probably smart.”

A quick word with the hostess got them a table in the restaurant part of the bar, a small circular booth in the corner that was actually probably as private as the place could offer. That was nice. “Are you hungry?” he asked, passing her a menu.

“So hungry,” she sighed, leaning back against the back of the booth. 

“You look tired,” Luka said sympathetically. “Sounded like you were in for a long day when we talked before.” 

“Yeah,” she turned her face toward him and smiled, and his heart stuttered at the cute way her hair bunched up behind her when she shifted her head. “It was a good day, though, and I’m not sorry I stayed. It took us longer to pack up than I expected and I almost didn’t make it. You guys did great up there, I really enjoyed the show.” 

“Good,” Luka said, trying to contain himself as he looked over the menu. “I’m glad we made it worth your time to come. This isn’t exactly the type of place we usually play, though, so we toned everything down a bit tonight. I’d like to have you come see us play for real sometime.” He glanced at her and thought he saw a hint of pink in her cheeks, though she was studying her menu as intently as he. 

“I’d like that,” she said, and then darted a glance up at him. They smiled at each other and went back to the menu. 

They chatted their way all through dinner, with a generous mixture of flirting whenever one of them could get up the nerve. She talked about her work as a junior designer and her volunteer work with the hospital, and he talked about his family and the musicians he worked with. 

Marinette was pretty and she was sweet and she was smart as a whip, and Luka was somewhere between smitten and enamored by the time they ordered dessert. She asked to try his and he ended up sliding close so they could share both. 

Then she looked up at him, giggling at something he’d said, and there was a smear of chocolate on her lip that did him in entirely. There was no sign of his usual self-control as Luka moved toward her, catching her face in his hand and turning it up so he could catch her chocolate smeared lip between his, tongue eagerly running across it to sweep the sweet syrup into his own mouth. Then he moved just enough to kiss her more fully, and just as his brain was catching up enough to realize just how forward he’d been, she kissed him back and he lost his mind again, one arm going around her waist to pull her closer, angling to bring her in deeper, and her hands slid up his arms to grip his shoulders, and they were well on their way to a full-blown make out when the sudden slap of the folder containing their check on the table made them both jump. The server gave them a dirty look as he walked away. The message was clear.  _ Stop camping my table and get a room. _

“Oh,” Marinette gasped, and turned to grope for her purse. 

“I’ve got it,” Luka said, flashing her a smile as he picked up the folder. “I told you it was on me.”

“Wow, it’s really late,” Marinette gasped, looking at her phone. “I guess we were talking for kind of a long time.” She smiled at him regretfully. “I should head home.” 

“Let me grab my guitar, I’ll walk you to the metro station,” Luka said, sliding out of the booth and offering her a hand. He wanted to offer her a ride, but intense chemistry or not, he didn’t think she’d be comfortable getting in a car alone with him at night. Especially since he drove what Juleka lovingly referred to as a “kidnapper van” to accommodate the band’s equipment.

“You don’t have to do that,” Marinette said as she slid out of the booth. Luka realized he was staring and quickly diverted his eyes from her legs, though he was pretty sure she’d caught him from the way she tugged her skirt down.

“I want to,” he smiled, squeezing her hand lightly before letting go. “I’ll meet you right outside? I’m already packed up, I just have to grab my things.”

Luka booked it as quick as he could to the back. He put on his coat, shouldering the guitar case and his bag, barely remembering to snatch up his hoodie where it was draped over a chair before he left. He cut through the dwindling crowd to the entrance, winking in response to the thumbs up Victor gave him as he passed.

Marinette was standing just inside the door, looking out of the windows and chewing her thumbnail. 

“Don’t you have a coat?” Luka asked, frowning. Marinette jumped nearly out of her skin and whirled. 

“Oh. Oh, sorry. Um, no, actually, I think I left it in the locker at the North Pole and they’ll be locked up by now,” she sighed, shoulders slumping. “It’s fine, I’ll just grab it in the morning.” 

“Sorry, didn’t mean to startle you,” Luka said, draping his hoodie over her shoulders. “Here, you’ll freeze like that. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing.”

“Thank you,” Marinette smiled, slipping her arms in the sleeves and zipping it up. Luka turned to open the door for her, mostly to hide the grin on his face at the way his hoodie swallowed her. 

Marinette seemed jumpy as they walked, which wasn’t surprising since it was pretty cold outside and the hoodie really wasn’t much. She flat refused to take his heavier coat. Her cheeks were pink from the wind, and he couldn’t get a good look at her face in the streetlights. It was too cold for chitchat, and at their quick pace, it didn’t take long for them to reach their destination.

“Well, here we are,” Luka said, stopping to turn toward her as they reached the metro entrance. 

“Thanks for walking me,” Marinette smiled, pushing her hair back as the wind tried to blow it in her face. “It was really nice meeting you.” 

“I’d really like to see you again,” Luka said, reaching tentatively to take her hand loosely. “I know it’s kind of crazy right now with the holidays, but could I get your number, and maybe we can see about finding some time to get together?” 

“Oh...” Marinette bit her lip, and the deer in the headlights look she gave him stopped his heart. Her next words broke it. “I just—I mean, I don’t, uh…I mean we just met, and—” 

“Okay,” he smiled, letting her fingers slide out of his. “Then I guess, thanks for a great night, Marinette. I had fun.” He hesitated, and couldn’t help adding hopefully, “I’m taking Angie to Place des Vosges tomorrow to play. We’ll probably get there around ten. If you change your mind, that’s where I’ll be.” 

“Um, your jacket—” Marinette began, reaching for the zipper of the hoodie, but Luka raised his hand.

“Keep it, I’ve had it forever, it’s no big deal. Goodnight, Marinette.” Luka turned quickly, trying to keep his exit slow enough that he didn’t look like a dog fleeing with his tail between his legs. It wasn’t like he’d never been rejected before, but this one stung. 

It stung a lot.

He walked to his van, stowed his guitar mechanically, and dropped his head on his folded arms. “Idiot,” he muttered. “ _ Damn  _ it.” He sighed, sat up, and started the van.


	3. 19. Or Nice

Juleka sat waiting, flipping through one of the fashion magazines sitting on the table, and reflected on how annoying it was to have to come back to work when she’d barely had a real vacation at all. At least she got to work with one of her favorite clients today, and not one of the annoying designers. 

“Hi Juleka, come on in,” Marinette smiled, beckoning her towards the back. “It’s good to see you again,” she added as they walked back to the designer’s space. 

“Same. How was your vacation?” Juleka asked, slipping out of her clothes and letting Marinette help her into the gown that needed fitting. 

“It was good. I did some volunteer work and then I spent Christmas at my parents. How was yours?”

“Miserable,” Juleka grumbled, standing patiently as Marinette fastened up the dress. “We all got sick, it was horrible. If it weren’t for my brother and my mom I think we might have lost our will to live entirely.”

“Oh, that’s too bad,” Marinette said, with genuine sympathy rather than polite disinterest—one of the reasons she was one of Juleka’s favorite clients. She was a genuinely a nice person who was interested in everybody. “I’m glad you’re doing better.” Marinette shook her head as she helped Juleka up on the pedestal and knelt to start pinning the hem. “That must be going around. S-someone I met at my volunteer job said that his family was sick too.” Her shoulders hunched slightly and Juleka’s eyebrows rose.

“Ooh, would that be someone interesting?” she teased. “Come on, Marinette, give me the details, or I’ll just be bored to tears standing here like a doll.”

Juleka could see the back of Marinette’s neck turn red in the mirror. 

“I met a guy,” the designer admitted. “He was really cool and sweet and we kind of hit it off but...I don’t know, we had dinner and we talked a lot, and then—and then he kissed me and I k-kissed him back, and it was...it was really good but it was kind of a lot, and it just felt like things were moving really fast all of a sudden, and when he asked for my number, I kind of panicked. He was really nice about it, he didn’t push me and he even told me where he’d be the next day if I changed my mind.”

Juleka raised her eyebrows. “Did you?”

“Yeah,” Marinette sighed. “I mean, I did like him and I thought, you know, maybe we could talk about it and slow things down a little. But, something must have happened or he must have changed  _ his _ mind, or maybe I just missed him…he wasn’t there when I went.” She sighed, and tried to smile up at Juleka. “So I guess it wasn’t meant to be.” 

“I’m sorry,” Juleka said sympathetically, and then she chuckled. “Guess that’s going around too, my brother said the same thing about a girl he met last week. He’s been pretty depressed about it actually. Maybe I should set you guys up,” she teased.

Marinette laughed. “I don’t know, what’s he like?”

Juleka smiled fondly. “You can’t tell him I said any of this, but he’s the sweetest, most honest and genuine person I know. He’s compassionate and caring, he’s always supported me even when mom was skeptical about some things, and he may look like a punk but he’s a softy underneath. You should see him with my daughter Angie, they’re adorable.”

Marinette froze and Juleka frowned. “Are you okay? Did you stick yourself?”

“I’m fine,” Marinette said, but she didn’t sound fine. She sounded kind of panicky, actually. “Um, what did you say your wife’s name was?”

Juleka blinked. “It’s Rose.”

Marinette looked up at her, white-faced. “You’re Jules,” she whispered.

Juleka frowned at the look on her face. “That’s what Luka calls me, yeah,” she said, crouching down very carefully to put her hands on Marinette’s shoulders. “Marinette, you’re not breathing.” 

“You’re Jules and your wife is Rose and you have a daughter named Angie and your brother is  _ Luka _ that I kissed and ditched and—“

“Breathe, Marinette,” Juleka said sharply. “Breathe with me. In...out…”

It took a few minutes to get Marinette to calm down. Juleka stood back up slowly and watched Marinette go back to mechanically pinning. 

“So, let me get this straight,” Juleka said after a moment. “ _ You’re _ the sexy elf my idiot brother hit on while she was working, invited to his gig, kissed out of the blue, and gave his favorite hoodie to?”

“It was his favorite?” Marinette gasped, looking up. “He said it was old!”

“It is old,” Juleka snorted. “He’s had it forever.” She looked down at Marinette and smirked. “Anything you want me to tell him?”

Marinette sighed, shoulders slumping. “I don’t know, Juleka, after I was so rude to him—“

“He didn’t think you were rude at all, in fact he’s been kicking himself for scaring you off. Rose and I gave him hell, too, because he knows better, jumping a girl like that.”

“But the park,” Marinette wailed, hands to her forehead. 

“They hadn’t even been there half an hour when Angie had a bad fall. Luka panicked and he spent the whole day with her in the emergency room.” 

“Oh, no, is she okay?” Marinette gasped. 

“She’s fine,” Juleka assured her. “It looked bad, but the actual damage was pretty minor. Just some bruises and a cut near her scalp that was bleeding like crazy, but no stitches and no concussion.”

“Poor Luka, he must have been scared,” Marinette sighed. “I could see how much he loved her.”

Juleka was silent a moment, deliberating what she should say, and knowing Luka would rather she said nothing at all.  _ Sorry, bro, I gotta check. _ “He’s actually her biological father,” she said quietly, earning another startled look for Marinette. “I mean, Luka being Luka he’d probably love her just as much if she wasn’t his, but...When we decided we wanted children, Rose really wanted to have the baby herself but neither of us were comfortable with the idea of a stranger, so Luka agreed to be our donor.” And Juleka liked Marinette but she wasn’t about to try and patch things up between her and Luka if Marinette couldn’t handle their slightly unorthodox little family. 

There was a moment of silence as the two women looked at each other, one shocked and the other measuring.

“That’s...that’s so beautiful, Juleka,” Marinette whispered, eyes gone glassy. “You guys must love each other so much.”

Juleka relaxed. “Yeah. We do. All of us. We’re pretty tight.” She hesitated. “I’m not trying to pressure you or make excuses for him, but he really likes you, Marinette. Luka’s an insightful person and good at reading people, which makes him a great friend. At the same time, it means he can be kind of intense, especially when he‘s got a crush. I promise, he’s normally got excellent boundaries and he would have backed off the instant you asked him too.”

“I know, I knew that,” Marinette groaned, folding her arms on the pedestal Juleka was standing on and dropping her head onto them. “I’m so lame, why couldn’t I just talk to him. He was so nice and when he kissed me—I mean it was sudden but it’s not like I pushed him away, I kissed him  _ back,  _ and...it was all really good...it wasn’t until he went to get his things and I had time to think that I started to freak out, and then when he asked for my number I couldn’t get anything out. After we talked for almost two hours and we kissed and I...oh. Juleka, I’m so  _ lame _ .” She covered her head with her arms and moaned. “He probably doesn’t want to talk to me anyway. He probably thinks I led him on, but I didn’t mean too—”

“Hey,” Juleka said, nudging Marinette gently with her foot. “Stop that. Nobody blames you, not even Luka. Like I said, he’s good at reading people, he knows he came on too strong and you were overwhelmed. If you’d rather never see him again, that’s fine. I don’t have to tell him I know you. But if you’re really regretting the way things went down, I know he’d love to see you again.”

“You really think so?” Marinette asked, raising her head. 

“Guaranteed.” Juleka smiled. “You might have to be the one to make all the moves for a while though. He’ll be scared of screwing up again.”

“I didn’t  _ mind _ it,” Marinette sighed.

Juleka rolled her eyes. “Yes, you did. Even if you enjoyed the attention, he clearly made you uncomfortable. I promise, though, he’s not normally like that and he’s not the type of guy to be offended if you tell him no or ask him to slow down.” She caught herself. “But again, I’m not trying to pressure you either, and now I’m the one making you uncomfortable at work. Sorry. Why don’t we just finish this up before we both get in trouble, and you can think about it? You don’t even have to decide today if you don’t want, you know how to get in touch with me if you need to.”

Marinette smiled up weakly at her, picking up the hem again. “Thanks, Juleka.”

Juleka mulled the whole confrontation over on the metro home. She glanced at the time as she went up the stairs to her apartment. Rose was still at work and Angie should be napping, so hopefully she could catch Luka alone.

Sure enough, Luka was propped up against the arm of the couch, snoring lightly. Juleka rolled her eyes, walked up to him, pulled the throw pillow out from under his head, and whacked him in the face with it. 

“Ow,” Luka complained, rubbing his face. “The hell was that for?”

“You’re an idiot,” Juleka deadpanned. “And you owe me.”

“I just spent two weeks taking care of your kid, fixing you soup, and holding your hair,” he said grumpily as he sat up. “How can _I_ possibly owe _you?”_

She chucked his hoodie at his chest. Luka caught it and held it up, staring at it for a moment, and then looked at Juleka, confused. 

“Where did you get this?” he asked. 

“You owe me,” Juleka repeated, smirking as she held up a pink envelope between two fingers. His name was scrawled across the front in very feminine handwriting. “You owe me  _ so  _ big.” 

Luka’s eyes grew round. She held the envelope out to him and let him take it. 

He opened it quickly and pulled out the note inside, pink and white with a monogram M on it. He looked up at Juleka. “Marinette?” he whispered. Juleka folded her arms and watched as he opened the note and read it.

“I owe you so big,” he agreed, awed. ”Wow...Jules, how the hell...I mean...” Juleka walked behind the couch toward the kitchen, and he winced away from her hand when she reached for him, but she just patted his head lightly.

“She’s a designer, I’m a model. Do the math, bro. She’s a cool person, but kinda jumpy. Slow the hell down and don’t screw it up this time.”

“Right,” he said absently, still staring at the note—and the phone number at the bottom.


	4. 22. Snowman

It was a surprise snowy day in Paris. A couple inches lay on the ground and the city was losing its collective mind. Luka, however, wasn’t inclined to cancel his plans today, so he bundled his little niece up, promised her mothers he would make sure she stayed warm, shouldered a backpack full of all the nonsense the girls made him carry when he went out with Angie, and took her to Place des Vogues as he’d planned.. 

They’d been at the park for about fifteen minutes when Luka heard his name called and turned to find Marinette waving at him, carefully stepping through the snow. Luka smiled and waved back.

She was still cute as hell, wrapped up in a big grey puffy jacket with a hood lined with white fleece, making her blue eyes look bright and huge in her sweet face. She wore a fluffy pink scarf and pink mittens, her cheeks and nose were pink with the wind, and he was absolutely  _ not _ going to look at her lips to see if they matched. 

He turned away to check on Angie, who was fascinated with the footprints she left in the snow and was paying no attention to him whatsoever. Luka had been texting with Marinette over the last couple of days, but this was the first time he’d seen her in person since their dinner together and he was nervous. Before he’d gotten her note, he’d played that night over and over again in his mind, swinging between anger at himself for being so stupid, frustration with her for shutting him out without talking to him, and depression at the whole situation. He still wasn’t sure why he’d acted the way he had, honestly. He was impulsive occasionally, but in ways that resulted in unique experiences and funny stories to tell later, not jumping women he’d just met. Normally, he would have noticed that she was uncomfortable much sooner. 

All he had come up with in all his thinking was that maybe that night he just hadn’t felt like being careful. Maybe he’d been feeling a little bit reckless on his first real night out after being cooped up taking care of Jules and Rose and Angie. He’d been feeling down and lonely even before they fell sick and maybe deep down he’d felt like he’d earned a little hedonistic selfishness. Maybe it was just bad timing that he’d met Marinette in that mood. 

_ Don’t fuck it up _ , Juleka’s voice said in his head, and Luka sighed and tried to summon a genuine smile to greet Marinette.

It was easier than he expected, once he faced her bright eyes and cheerful expression. “Hi,” he said. “Glad you could make it.” He turned to Angie. “Can you say hi to Miss Marinette?” Luka prompted. 

“Hi Miss Ma-ee-nette,” Angie chirped without looking up from the trail of footprints she was meticulously laying out in the snow. 

Luka took a deep breath. “Listen, I know I said this over text already, but I just wanted to tell you in person, I’m really sorry about last time. I overstepped and I made you uncomfortable and I really can’t even express how sorry I am. Thank you for being willing to come out with me again. I had a really great time with you, and I hate that it ended the way it did.”

“Oh,” Marinette said, chinks turning a little pinker. “Well, I—thank you for saying that. Really, it’s forgiven, and  _ I’m  _ sorry too, I know it must have been confusing, after I kissed you back—“

“No,” he interrupted. “I didn’t give you a chance to think, you reacted in the moment and you rolled with it and there’s nothing wrong with that. You’re allowed to change your mind and you don’t owe me any explanations.” 

Marinette nodded slowly. “I’m still sorry for ditching you without saying anything. If I hadn’t just chickened out maybe—well. We both made mistakes, and as far as I’m concerned, we have a clean slate.” She held out her hand. “Okay?”

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” he said, but he took her hand. “Thank you.” He felt her squeeze lightly and then let go. “I’m glad you came,” he said, sticking his hands in his pockets and turning to watch Angie. “You’re a brave soul to venture out in all this.” He nodded to the grey sky. 

“I used to come play here every time it snowed,” Marinette giggled. “I wouldn’t miss it. I’m grateful for the excuse.” 

Luka opened his mouth to reply when Angie suddenly came running back to him.

“Unca Loo-ka,” Angie said, tugging at his pant leg. “Nowman!” she pointed to the older kids who were currently on their knees, building a small snowman. She hugged his knee. “Nowman!”

“Yes, they’re building a snowman,” Luka agreed. “Do you want to build a snowman?” he asked, winking at Marinette when she giggled. “You have no idea how many times she’s made me sing that song,” he whispered.

“Nowman!” Angie bounced. “Wanna build a nowman!”

“Okay,” Luka said, pulling gloves out of his pocket. “Let’s build a snowman.” He grinned at Marinette. “You in?”

Marinette giggled. “Sure.” 

It turned out it was hard to stay tense when you were building a snowman—just a small one, since they only had a few inches of snow to work with. They were almost finished when Marinette excused herself and zipped out of the park. 

He was starting to be afraid she’d ditched them when she reappeared with a satisfied smile on her face. 

“Every snowman needs accessories!” she giggled, holding up a handful of buttons and a baby carrot.

“Where did you get all that?” Luka asked, amused (and relieved). 

“My secret,” she said, wrinkling her nose at him (so cute). She knelt in the snow and held the buttons out to Angie. “What color do you want to make his eyes?”

“There’s boo! There’s boo buttons and there’s a geen button and a red button—“

“Yes, Miss Marinette brought you lots of colors. Which ones are you going to choose?” Luka interrupted gently. 

Angie picked two different shades of blue, and Marinette helped her put them in the snowman’s face, along with the little baby carrot nose. The remaining rainbow of buttons went down his front. Then both girls looked to Luka for approval, beaming, and their combined cuteness left him unable to do much more than offer a thumbs up. He pulled his phone out and whistled sharply to get Angie’s attention. 

“Oh, Jules is gonna love that,” he chuckled, turning it so Marinette could look.

“You should’ve warned me, I would have moved,” Marinette blushed.

“I didn’t want you to move,” he said simply. “Besides, by the time you did Angie would have lost interest and wandered off.” He gestured towards the little toddler, who was back to marching in the fresh snow so she could look at her footprints. “I’ll delete it if it really bothers you, but you both look really cute, and you’re adorable together.” Her eyes widened slightly and her face went red and Luka cringed. “Sorry. Too much?”

“What? No! I mean, it’s fine, I can—I can take a compliment really.” She was turning pinker by the minute. 

Luka bit back laughter and couldn’t help teasing her just a little. “Are you sure?” She gasped in outrage and he added, “You have the most beautiful eyes I’ve ever seen.” She went from pink to red and he couldn’t keep the laugh back anymore. 

The pout she gave him just made him laugh harder. Eventually she couldn’t help giggling too, shoving him playfully. 

“You’re awful,” she told him.

“I’m honest,” he chuckled. “Really.” The last of their laughter died away and they were left staring at each other with dopey grins on their faces. He wanted to touch her, to lift his hand and brush away the snowflakes landing on her cheek, but he didn’t dare.

Luka cleared his throat and turned away. “Angie, can you say thank you to Miss Marinette?”

“Tank you, Miss Ma-ee-nette!” 

“You’re so welcome, sweetie,” Marinette cooed. “Oh, Luka she’s just so cute.” Then she looked at him and blushed. “Um, are you guys getting hungry? I know a good place to get something to eat and the best hot chocolate in Paris!”

“How can I resist that?” Luka answered, hopefully not  _ too _ quickly. “Lunchtime, Angie.” 

“Lunch!” Angie cried, turning and running towards them. “Wanna have lunch!” 

“Woah,” Luka said, catching her before she ran right past him. “Hang on, tiger, at least hold my hand.” He took Angie’s hand, even though it meant he had to walk stooped over a bit.

Marinette giggled. “Will she let me? I’m shorter.”

That would certainly save him some aches and pains. “Angie, can Miss Marinette hold your hand?”

Angie thought about it for a second and then reached up to take Marinette’s hand. 

Marinette smiled broadly. “Well all right then. Follow me!” 

They made their slow way through the still-falling snow out of the park and across the street to a white building whose scrolling gold window decorations declared it to be a bakery. Marinette opened the door for them and motioned them in. Luka kicked his boots on the doorstep to try and knock some of the snow off, and picked up Angie so she wouldn’t track anything, propping her on his hip. He barely had time to take in the very pink but otherwise elegant bakery interior before Marinette dodged around him, calling, “Hi Maman! I brought some friends!”

“Hello again, Marinette,” the smiling woman at the counter said, looking up. “These are your friends? Welcome to Tom and Sabine’s,” she said politely to Luka and Angie, and then her professional smile widened into something more genuine as she waved at Angie. “I’m Sabine.” 

“Nice to meet you, I’m Luka and this is my niece Angelique,” he replied. “Can you say hi, Angie?”

“Hi Angie,” Angie repeated obediently, and Luka sighed as both women giggled. 

“Angie, can you say hi?” he tried again, and got the desired response this time. He grinned at Marinette. “You’d think eventually I’d remember to say it the right way. So this is where you disappeared to?”

“Surprise,” Marinette giggled. “I grew up here, so I just popped over and let Maman and Papa know we’d be by.”

“Tom’s in the back at the ovens at the moment,” Sabine told him, “But you’re very welcome.”

Luka was trying to figure out how to respond to that when Angie startled him by leaning out of his arms, so that he had to move quick to keep her from falling as she reached a hand toward a brightly colored display case full of treats. “Num nums! Want num nums!” 

“Oh, no,” Luka grunted, levering her back against him. “Not until after lunch, baby.” 

“Num nums! Num nums, Miss Ma-nette!” Angie turned pleadingly towards the other adult present, abandoning him as hopeless instantly. 

“Oh, you heard Uncle Luka,” Marinette wagged her finger. “Num nums after lunch.”

Angie paused to consider. “Lunch. Want lunch, Unca Luka! Lunch!” 

“She’s a smart one,” Marinette giggled, as Luka rolled his eyes. “Come on, I set up something upstairs earlier. Thanks for hosting us, Maman,” she added, pausing to kiss her mother on the cheek.

“We’re always happy to see you, dear,” Sabine smiled. “It was nice to meet you two. Bye bye!” she waved at Angie, who recognized this cue and chirped “Bye bye!” in return. 

“I’d forgotten you told me your parents owned a bakery,” Luka commented as he followed Marinette upstairs. “I think I’ve been here before in fact.”

Marinette giggled. “Best pastries in Paris if you ask me.”

They all shed coats and boots, and soon Luka was sitting at the tall kitchen table with Angie in his lap, shredding savory pastries into bite size pieces for her as he chatted with Marinette.

They were falling into that same easy, natural conversation they’d had before. Before long, Angie fell asleep with a piece of pastry still in her hand, and Luka laid her gently on the couch and before returning to sit at the table again as Marinette moved around the kitchen preparing two mugs of hot chocolate. He tried not to watch the sway of her hips or the back of her neck between her pigtails or the flash of her wrists beneath the long sleeves of her sweater. He took a deep breath and looked at his hands until Marinette slid a mug over into them. 

“Thank you,” he smiled. She smiled back and for a moment they just sat quietly, sipping their hot chocolate. “That  _ is _ good,” he grinned, and she winked at him. 

It was all incredibly comfortable and domestic. He wondered if this was how Juleka felt every morning and felt a stab of envy. Not that he regretted anything, but he was starting to think maybe…

“Luka?” Marinette leaned forward and looked up into his face. “Are you all right.” 

“Yeah,” he chuckled. “I’m...really happy, actually. So, um...tell me about how you met Juleka.” 

Her eyes brightened and her smile widened and her whole face became animated as she told the story, and if there was any part of him that wasn’t already taken with her, that moment was enough to finish him. 

“I’m doing all the talking,” she sighed, resting her cheek on her hand, and Luka had never felt Shakespeare in his heart until just that moment. 

“I don’t mind,” Luka told her, but then he sighed. “I should really get Angie home,” Luka said, getting down from the table. “Jules will start to wonder if we’re not back.” Marinette got up and helped him gather Angie’s things to put in his backpack. “Thanks for coming out with us, and inviting us into your family’s home,” he said as he put his coat on. “I—I really like spending time with you, Marinette. I’d really like to do something like this again. Maybe just you and me, next time.” He grinned. “I mean I love Angie, but—” He stopped himself just before he said something unfortunate about needing more adult entertainment.

“Um,” Marinette looked down, playing with one pigtail. “Actually, my friend Alya, the one I was volunteering with? She’s throwing a party tomorrow for New Year’s Eve, and, um—” she paused, and looked up at his face. “I was wondering if you’d like to go with me?”

“I’d love to,” he blurted, before his brain caught up with him. “Ah, wait, I have a gig.”

“Oh, of course you would,” Marinette laughed, turning pink. “I should have thought of that. Of course people would want a band on New Years Eve, it must be a big night for you...” 

“Hang on, hang on,” Luka said, pulling his phone out of his pocket to check the details. “I know we’re not playing until midnight, they have a headliner they’re bringing in and we’re just the opener, so…I could maybe come after, if that’s okay? I mean I totally understand if that’s too late, you could probably get another date—”

“No, no, I wasn’t going to ask anybody else, I just thought—I mean, if you want to come after that would be fine? It’s at the Grand Paris Hotel. Alya’s mom works there so she was able to get Alya a room for the party.”

“Oh, that works,” Luka said in surprise. “I’m playing the big party down in the grand ballroom, so if you just let me know what room, I can come right after I’m done.” He smiled at her. “I’ll be done at maybe 10:30?” 

“Perfect,” Marinette smiled. “I’ll be waiting.” 

“Okay,” he said, with a slow grin. “I’ll be there.” 

“Okay,” she repeated, and then she blushed and rose up on her toes to kiss his cheek. “I had a good time today. Be safe on the way home, okay?”

He was a grown man and should not be tongue-tied by such a little thing. “See you soon, Marinette,” he managed, and maybe if he hadn’t been an idiot once already, he might have asked to kiss her for real, to feel her cheek under his hand and her soft lips under his.

As it was, he just curled his fingers closed at his side and smiled, and picked his sleeping niece up off the couch, tucking her under his coat. Marinette helped him zip it up over them both, and with a quick goodbye to her mother, Luka slipped out, a smile on his face and a strange fizzing in his veins. If it hadn’t been for Angie sleeping in his arms, he might have run all the way home. 


	5. 31. New Beginnings

The party was in full swing, and Marinette was unfortunately bored to tears, drifting idly around the outskirts. “Your boy’s not here yet?” Alya asked, a worried little crease appearing between her eyebrows.

“It’s only just now getting time to be expecting him,” Marinette told her, checking the time. “He had to work.”

“Ugh, that sucks,” Alya pouted. “I want you to be having fun. Adrien’s supposed to be here soon, he had another commitment first…”

“Yeah, no thank you,” Marinette sighed. “I’ve had enough pity dances with Adrien to last me a lifetime.” She tried to smile. “Don’t worry, my date will get here soon, and I’m still having fun. It’s been great to catch up with everyone.” 

“As long as you’re sure—” Alya began, but just then Nino popped up at Alya’s elbow, and as if on cue—and it probably was, since he was the DJ and certainly knew which cue to listen for—the music turned slow and romantic, a familiar song that made Marinette want to make a face. But she just smiled and teased Alya and Nino for a moment before leaving them to the dance floor. 

She was making her way towards the buffet table when she heard a welcome voice call her name, carrying easily over the party noise.

“Luka!” Marinette turned with a bright smile, heart skipping as she whirled around. His easy smile widened as he looked at her. “You made it!” She grabbed his hands and squeezed. 

“I said I would,” he chuckled, grinning down at her. “I’m glad you’re happy to see me.” 

Marinette leaned in a little, wrinkling her nose. “Was the party as awful and stuffy as it looked when I passed? 

He leaned in too. “Worse. I could hardly play, I felt so stifled. It was rough making it through that set knowing you were waiting for me. I have a feeling my night just got a whole lot better.” He straightened up. “You look amazing.” 

“Oh,” she said, the warmth in his smile and his voice made her blush and look away. “Um, thank you.” She was dressed to dance, with her hair piled on top of her head, black skinny jeans with a sparkly halter top and a blazer that she had left draped over a chair somewhere. She pulled back a hand to tuck some loose hair behind her ear. 

“Well, it sounds like I got here at a good time,” Luka began, but stopped at a call from across the floor.

“Hey Marinette!” Marinette froze, eyes wide, as Adrien bounced up at her elbow. “Hey, they’re playing our song, you want to dance? Just like old times?”

Marinette turned toward him, stomach churning, and plastered a pleasant look on her face. “O-oh, that’s sweet of you to remember, Adrien, but um—my date just got here, so I think I’m gonna stick with him if that’s okay.” She gestured weakly at Luka.

“Oh, sure,” Adrien flashed the smile he was famous for, and held his hand out to Luka. “Adrien Agreste. Marinette and I went to school together.”

“Luka Couffaine,” Luka said simply, shaking his offered hand. “Nice to meet you.”

“Couffaine,” Adrien repeated, frowning slightly as he pulled his hand back. “Why do I know that name?”

“My sister, Juleka Lavillant-Couffaine, she models. She’s pretty well known in the industry.”

“Okay,” Adrien said, nodding. “That rings a bell, but I feel like I know you from something else.”

“I play in a couple of bands around town,” Luka suggested. 

Adrien snapped his fingers. “That’s it, I think I’ve seen you play. In fact—weren’t you playing downstairs earlier tonight?” He rolled his eyes and said to Marinette. “Chloe’s party, you know, I had to go.”

“Of course,” Marinette said stiffly, faking a smile.

“Yeah, I did,” Luka said, with a smile that wasn’t anything less than friendly but lacking some of the warmth she’d seen earlier. “Glad to be out of there, honestly. Definitely not my kind of party. The company’s much better here,” he smiled at Marinette, and the warmth was back.

“That’s for sure,” Adrien agreed vehemently.

“Well, if you don’t mind,” Luka said, turning that friendly smile on him again, “I was just going to ask Marinette to dance?” 

“Oh, right,” Adrien flashed his million dollar smile again. “Yeah, it was nice to meet you. I’ll catch you again later, Marinette,” 

“Sure,” Marinette smiled, waving awkwardly.

“Old flame?” Luka asked quietly as Adrien retreated, and his voice held not jealousy, but sympathy and gentleness.

“More like unrequited crush,” Marinette said, feeling her smile wobble. “He’s always been kind of terrible at reading social situations, I’m sorry.” 

“Long time?”

“Very,” she sighed. “Most of high school and then some. I’m over it, I’ve been over it for a long time, but it—I guess it still doesn’t feel good. It’s hard to talk to him, knowing how stupid I was and yet he never even noticed.” 

“The body remembers,” Luka said knowingly. “No matter how over it you are, your palms still sweat and your knees still get weak out of—I don’t know, habit, I guess. I’ve been there.”

“That’s exactly what it’s like,” Marinette said, both relieved and surprised that he understood. “I know it doesn’t mean anything, and I still hate it.” 

“You want to leave?” Luka asked, resting a hand on her back. “We don’t have to stay if you’re uncomfortable.” 

“Alya would be upset…” Marinette whispered.

“Do  _ you _ want to go?” he asked again gently.

Marinette struggled for a moment, and then sighed. “No. I want to be better than this. I want to put it behind me.”

“Okay,” he said, his hand rubbing gently along her back. “If you change your mind, let me know. I’ll take you home, no questions asked.” He smiled. “But if you want to put it behind you, let’s put it behind you. Will you dance with me?”

Marinette felt the fake pleasantness fall away, and a real smile broke through. “I’d love to.” She let him lead her to the dance floor, trying to focus on the happy flutter in her stomach and the warm way he smiled as he drew her close to him.

“You really do look beautiful,” he said, keeping his voice just loud enough for her to hear him over the music. “You always have, though. There hasn’t been a single time I’ve seen you that I haven’t been completely knocked over by how cute you are. And how kind. And smart. It blows my mind how smart you are, when you talk about your designs and the market and different influences.” He chuckled. “And you’re funny. You’re just really fun to be around, Marinette.” 

Marinette’s face got a little bit hotter with every word, and she curled into herself, embarrassed by his praise.

“Too much?” Luka asked, and she shook her head. “Tell me if I’m making you uncomfortable, because that’s absolutely not my intention. I just want you to know how amazing you are. I don’t know the story with this guy, I can’t tell you what he was thinking. But I can tell you that whatever went down, it didn’t happen because there was anything wrong or undesirable about you. You’re an extraordinary woman, Marinette, and I haven’t been able to get you out of my head since the day we met.” 

Marinette’s breath caught, and she hid her face in his shoulder. Luka shifted their stance fluidly, pulling her into him, bringing their hands against his chest, shielding her emotional moment with their closeness.

“Are you still okay?” he asked. 

“Yeah,” she whispered. “I just...can we stay like this?” 

“As long as you want. Just follow my lead and feel what you need to feel, okay? I’ve got you.”

They danced in silence for a while, and Marinette found herself appreciating the comfort of his embrace as well as the emotional space he gave her. Juleka was right, she realized. He was sweet with his family and genuine and compassionate with her and he was all those things Juleka said he was, and...and...he liked her. He’d really put himself out there just to make her feel better about herself, even though she’d rejected him once already.

Marinette smiled to herself when she realized that she wasn’t upset anymore. She wasn’t afraid anymore. She was comfortable and safe. And now it was her turn to take a chance and put herself out there. 

Because, even if it was just the very beginning of a feeling...she really liked him too. She turned her head so her cheek was resting on his shoulder, instead of hiding her face. 

“Luka?” she ventured.

“Hmm?”

She took a deep breath. “Will you kiss me at midnight?”

The smooth rhythm of their movement stuttered for a moment. “I’d really like to,” he admitted. “Are you sure that’s what you want?”

“Yeah,” she said, lifting her face to look at him with a smile. “I’m sure.” She put her head back down on him, because she couldn’t quite bring herself to look him in the eye. “I really like you, Luka,” she said shyly. “And...tonight’s a really good time for new beginnings, don’t you think? Leaving the past behind and moving on to other things. Better things. Because...that’s what I feel like when I’m with you. Like I’m standing at the beginning of something really good.” She bit her lip, practically held her breath while she waited for his reaction. 

“Okay,” he said at last, a tremor in his voice. “But...do we have to wait that long? Midnight’s still like an hour and a half away.” 

Marinette burst into giggles, and felt his deep chuckle along with her. She lifted her head and gave him a playful look. “I thought we were taking things slow this time,” she teased. 

“Can’t blame a guy for asking when you’re saying such sweet things,” Luka teased back with a grin, but the way he looked at her, the softness in his eyes, made her melt. Marinette rose up on her toes and pressed a soft lingering kiss to his lips, She felt the vibration of his pleased hum in his chest before she pulled away. 

The slow song ended, shifting into a pounding dance beat as she grinned up at the elated expression spreading over his features. “That’ll have to hold you for a while,” she told him, straightening his suit coat, “Because we have a lot of dancing to do.” 

The smirk he gave her made her stomach flip pleasantly. “Well then, let’s dance.” 

Before Marinette could reply, her arm was in an iron grip and Alya was hissing in her ear. “Girl,  _ what the hell _ , you owe me details!” Marinette burst into giggles and shoved her away. 

“Later,” she laughed, eyes sparkling at Luka. “I’m busy.”

Luka’s grin was wide and maybe even a little wicked as he beckoned her forward with one hand. It gave her shivers, but not in a scary way. 

“Why do I suddenly have a feeling you’re a really good dancer,” Marinette said, eyes narrowing slightly. 

“I said you were a smart lady,” Luka smirked. 

“Well, I probably should warn you that I’m  _ not _ a very good dancer,” she told him, putting her hand in his and letting him tangle their fingers together. 

“Hmm, I bet we can work on that,” he chuckled. “You have good rhythm, that’s the most important thing.” He grinned. “You could stand to loosen up a little though.” 

Marinette was skeptical but it turned out that not only was Luka a good teacher, but his smooth voice in her ear, singing along with the lyrics when he wasn’t giving her instructions, and his guiding hands on her body made her feel all wobbly, which was a sufficient substitute for loosening up. He did have to catch her once in the beginning when she got her feet tangled up together, but they both just laughed as he righted her. 

After that he must have been watching her closely because Luka always seemed to know when she was getting unsteady, and give her just the right tug or push to keep her from overbalancing and toppling over. He wasn’t the least bit inappropriate, but his light touch on the inside of her wrists as he encouraged her to put her hands up, the way he slid his fingers down to her elbows as she obeyed before letting go, even the way his hands framed her body without touching her before settling back on her hips, felt fraught with potential. Feeling daring, she set her body rolling in a wave motion, the only dance move she felt reasonably confident with on her own.

“You’ve been holding out on me,” Luka all but purred in her ear. “How do you have that kind of control over your core and not your arms and legs?” 

“I wish I knew,” she admitted. “I’m just a natural klutz.”

“Well, we can work with that, now I know you’ve got it.” Luka chuckled. “Try this one…” 

It took a few songs, but finally she got to where she was dancing instead of just following Luka’s instructions. 

“Yeah, go for it Marinette!” Alya whooped as she twirled by, arms over her head and hips swiveling in a way Marinette could never hope to emulate. “Damn, girl, when did you get moves?”

“Just now,” Marinette laughed, turning to face her. She put hands on top of Luka’s at her waist and leaning back into his chest. “Luka’s a good teacher.”

“It’s funny how many things get easier when you have the right partner,” Luka’s velvet voice chuckled by her ear. “You want to try a dip?”

She glanced over her shoulder “Will you catch me if I fall?”

“Always,” he promised, and she shivered a little. “Okay, get the beat, arch your back just a little bit, get your hips moving...and down, two three, up two three, nice!” 

She did dance with Adrien eventually, and Luka relinquished her with a wink and a smile and a promise he’d be waiting with drinks when she was done. 

“You look really happy,” Adrien said, as he waltzed her around the floor. She caught sight of Luka past his shoulder; their eyes met and her head turned automatically as Adrien swept her past before she brought her gaze back to Adrien with a slightly embarrassed smile. “You like him a lot, huh?” Adrien chuckled. 

“It’s early days,” Marinette smiled. “But I’m excited about it.”

“I’m happy for you, Marinette,” Adrien said, she tried not to look for anything wistful or regretful in his smile. He’d made his choice a long time ago. She had no interest in treading old ground again. Not with the promise of something new, something warm and exciting and beautiful just waiting for her. Some part of her would love to know that Adrien regretted her, but it wasn’t a part she tried to encourage.

“Is this the first time you’ve seen Nino since you got back?” she asked brightly.

“Uh, yeah,” Adrien said, and they were back in safe conversational territory.

When the dance was over, she went back to Luka with bright eyes, flushed cheeks, and no regrets. 

He had drinks and a plate ready as promised, and they found one of the tables on the outskirts that was empty. “Are you having a good time?” Luka asked, pushing the plate over where she could get to it. 

“I really am,” Marinette beamed. “Thank you. I’ve always been kind of the third wheel at these parties, so it’s nice to have someone to hang out with.”

“I find that hard to believe,” Luka said, leaning towards her. He’d long since ditched his coat with her blazer, and he had the sleeves of his button down rolled up above his elbows. 

“Well, it’s true,” Marinette said a little shortly, drinking her water. 

Luka touched her elbow. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be insensitive.”

Marinette mustered a smile for him. “It’s okay.”

“Do I need to tell you again how great you are?” Luka smiled. “Because I can do that as many times as you need to hear it.”

Marinette looked down at her hands wrapped around her water. “Maybe you could just hold me again?” 

“Gladly.” He slid his chair closer and put his arm around Marinette’s shoulders. She snuggled into him with a sigh. “You know we can still leave if you want to.”

“I don’t want to leave,” Marinette said, laying her head on his shoulder with her nose against his neck. “I just want to rest for a minute.” 

She felt Luka swallow before he answered, “Then rest.” His hand squeezed her shoulder and then rubbed lightly. Marinette closed her eyes with a contented sigh.

She jumped less than a minute later, nearly knocking her head into Luka’s jaw, when Alya dropped into the chair next to her. “You’re not pooping out already, are you?” she demanded. “It’s not even midnight yet.”

Marinette groaned, “Alya, I was comfy.” 

“Me too,” Luka muttered. 

“Come on, Mari, live a little! If you’re not going to dance—”

“I did dance!”

“—then go make out in the bathroom like a normal person!” She took a drink and then grimaced, waving somewhere behind them. “Or you know, in the middle of everyone, like Kim.” 

“I think you’ve had too much to drink Alya,” Marinette sighed, reaching for Alya’s glass. “You’re being pushy and obnoxious.”

“Say the word,” Luka murmured, squeezing her arm. 

“Yeah, I think it’s time to go home,” Marinette said, standing up. “Please.” 

“Aw, Marinette, I didn’t mean to—” Alya whined, reaching across the table for Marinette’s hand and ending up just kind of in a heap across the tabletop.

“It’s okay,” Marinette said, patting her head. “It’s tradition for you to start out the New Year begging my forgiveness anyway.” She bent down and kissed her friend on the cheek. “Good night, Alya. Thanks for the party.” 

She turned to Luka, and they retrieved their coats. “I have to apologize now for my van,” Luka said as they waited for the elevator. “It’s more for convenience than style or comfort.”

“That’s okay,” Marinette sighed. “Beats the metro in dress shoes.”

Luka cleared his throat. “So, next question. Where do you want to go? It’s not quite midnight yet…”

“I have a balcony,” Marinette mused. “We should be able to see the Champs-Elysees fireworks from the doors, even if it’s too cold to go outside.” 

“Sounds good to me,” Luka said, opening the van door for her. “I’ll need directions.”

Marinette’s apartment wasn’t too far, and they made it in good time. She pulled up a countdown on her phone, and they stood leaning against the back of the sofa as they waited. 

“Should auld acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind,” Luka sang softly, “Should auld acquaintance be forgot, for auld lang syne.” He stopped abruptly. “Sorry. Habit.”

“No, keep going,” Marinette nudged him. “It was nice.”

Luka took a breath, wrapping his arms around her waist, pulling her in front of him. She leaned back against him, letting her head fall back against his shoulder as he sang. “For old lang syne, my dear, for auld lang syne, we’ll take a cup of kindness yet, for auld lang syne.” They both swayed slightly as he sang in the quiet of her apartment, staring out at the city. 

Marinette’s phone beeped. “Almost time,” she said, holding it up where they could see the numbers tick down. 

Luka nuzzled her temple, murmured against her skin, “Do you still want that kiss?”

Marinette smiled. “I do. Do you still want to give it to me?” 

“More and more every moment.” 

Marinette turned in his arms to face him, still holding the countdown clock where they could both see it. “Five,” she murmured. “Four...three...two—” 

He moved maybe a bit too early, but Marinette didn’t care, meeting him with enthusiasm to match his eagerness, dropping her phone over the back of the sofa with a thump so she could bury her fingers in his hair. She rose up on her toes to press more firmly into him as beyond Marinette’s window, fireworks streaked into the air and erupted into showers of color. For a long moment she knew nothing but his mouth and his hands and his broad shoulders under her arm and the soft hair under her fingers. 

By the time they parted, the fireworks were nearly over. They both looked up just in time for the final burst.

“Happy New Year, Marinette,” Luka whispered, running a hand lightly down her back. “I have to say, I’m pretty excited for it.”

“Me too,” Marinette couldn’t contain her smile. “But whatever happens...I’m really glad I met you, Luka.”

He kissed her again, and this time, not charged with the thrill of dancing and the tension of waiting, it was soft, and gentle, and slow and very, very thorough. 

All in all, Marinette thought it was a pretty good beginning.


End file.
